Brockenhurst, United Kingdom

Heat wave over, it was raining a little this morning and for many it was a welcome relief as I have found the English moan as much about ‘warm’ (in my opinion not super hot) days as much as cold wet ones! In fairness to them, in some areas in England it was the hottest recorded temperature in July – I think London got to 35 degrees.

We had a good drive today, another 2.5hrs, with a stop at Stonehenge which is only 30 minutes into the journey and on route to Brockenhurst, New Forest which is in the Hampshire region. We debated whether to go to Stonehenge as we had a good look and touch at Castlerigg stones and you cannot touch or walk in-between the stones at Stonehenge as they have it roped off, not to mention the steep entry fee. Stonehenge however is larger, has lintels (cross pieces) and is iconic so I said to Vern that we should drive there and get a vibe and make a decision then. We would also be able to take into consideration the weather in case it got worse. It was also one thing I had really wanted to see when planning our journey.

The drive in-between Bath and Stonehenge was scenic with some very grand houses leaving the city, leading to rolling and wooded country side, a lot being relatively high providing lovely low land intervals. There were also a lot of trees and small woodland patches within cultivated fields of patchwork coloured grains of yellow and grey green. There were also a couple of blue paddocks where we were able to actually stop for a photo, I have no idea what the purple blue flowers were – perhaps a rest crop? As usual Vernon was unable to oblige pulling over for the other pretty scenery as there was no where to pull over – not to mention there is always a lot of traffic on the roads on your tail pushing you along.

At Stonehenge there is a new visitor centre which provides a free shuttle to the stones once you have paid your entry fee. They have a bit of a history/education display which is not too bad, including artefacts, skeletons, facts, theories, models of how it would have looked, early tourism, etc. and some full size replica houses from the time of the people who created the stones. The stones that make up the circle are from two different areas in the UK (Wales 240 miles and Marlborough Downs 20 miles away, and it is interesting to think how they perhaps floated them using water ways and moved them across land with roller systems to create a ‘special’ place. The biggest stone weighs approximately 50 tonnes and would have taken an estimate of 500 men to pull it on a sledge type system with ropes. The size and logistics of the structure is impressive in itself.

The weather was cool and a bit breezy but not raining so we bit the bullet and parted with £18 each and after a quick look at the education centre we hopped on the bus with anticipation of seeing the stones in person. I don’t know what it is about them; the myth, the mystery, or perhaps that something special that no one knows why except the makers …. but it was a little thrill to finally see them. Photos show stones; being there is an experience that will be personal for each and we both enjoyed walking around the cordoned ring and taking in each different angle. The sun even came out for a peek and we couldn’t believe our luck when we got back to the visitor centre to have a cup of tea when an almighty squall came through dropping the temperature by about 8 degrees and drenching every one who was still out and about. We had our wet weather gear, but even so we had to sit it out a bit before doing a dash to the car.

One other point of interest there are all these burial mounds like giant ant hills. These belong to the people prior to and during Stonehenge and look fascinating. Normanton Down Barrows date 1600-2600 B.C. and were cemeteries of Neolithic and Bronze age people.

Our next destination was the small village of Brockenhurst which is in a National Park called ‘New Forest, in the region of Hampshire. For the last half an hour of the journey you enter the forest which was unexpectedly pretty with tall trees on either side, sometimes forming arches with ferns underneath and lots of green and gold filtered dappled light. New Forest is known for having wild donkeys, cows, ponies and deer roaming free and it wasnt long before we saw some donkeys on the side of the road. There are some beautiful villages in New Forest and we already feel that it would have been nice to linger longer – especially with the sun now out. We passed a few ‘camping grounds’ and you see lots of walks you could take all over the place.

As we entered Brockenhurst we saw wild ponies in town, just wandering around and right up to someones door way. Its a very odd thing to see indeed and after dinner when we were walking home via the servo to get our nightly cider there was a family of donkey just marching up the street, stopping traffic and leaning into gardens to munch at their will. They are quite tame, although feeding is not encouraged – any tourists about were patting them.

Our accommodation here is a 16th century thatched cottage and it has a great atmosphere. It needs a bit of maintenance, but none the less I am happy to be here and experience something of this vintage in England. As you can see it slopes due to lack of foundations and age and when you enter you go slightly below ground level. Everything is dark and it is furnished beautifully in an older style. Our steps up to our room on the first floor are very steep and narrow – almost vertical and you definitely need one hand on a rail to get up. Not everyone could manage the steepness and definitely a sober zone! The old timber floor boards are dark stained and very thick, they are also uneven which is so full of character. You step up and over the door frame and down into our room, minding your head as not only are things narrow in these houses but also low. I booked the cheapest room in this house, with the bathroom down the hall (private) and it was pretty rugged, sure its character, but it was rugged and needed attention. I saw one of the other rooms across the landing and it was lovely and spacious. You certainly get what you pay for and this was a one night fly through so I guess I will put up with the maids room ….

We asked for a dinner recommendation and out of the few provided we ended up at a relatively new Italian 5 minutes walk up the road. It was really really good and reasonable prices. I had a seafood with butter, herbs and chilli sauce and Vern had the Carbonara (seems to be our standard) we shared a local organic cider which was also very tasty. Mind you I have yet to taste a bad cider here! Dessert was a shared white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake which was nice but not quite continental enough for me to rave about.

As mentioned, after dinner we strolled home via the servo for more liquids and enjoyed the donkeys. There are parts of town where they have cattle grates so they animals cant get in, but generally they have free reign. The general vibe around here is a little hippy, very green and nature orientated where man, beast and bird share the environment with love and peace. Its rather nice, and very relaxing.